Brock’s expression darkened as he tilted his head. “So, what are we going to do about the Himuras?” he asked cautiously. “They could be a problem.”

“They might pose a threat,” Marimbo agreed, “but we promised we wouldn’t attack them. Breaking that would go against everything we stand for.”

Sigmund nodded. “Indeed, it’s been a long time since I encountered a vampire; they are beings that dominated the old world just like us. They keep their word and uphold their rules. If we follow the territorial boundaries we agreed upon, I think we can live among them.”

Marimbo added, “Besides, there aren’t many of us in our family, and both our races are dying out. It would be foolish to pursue conflict now.”

“Father’s right,” Moriaty said softly. “Violence solves nothing.” However, Brock cut her off before she could finish.

“My lord,” Brock said firmly, “I suggest we proceed with caution and avoid threatening actions.”

“Go on?” Marimbo prompted curiously. “Let me observe their capabilities, just in case,” Brock replied. “It would give me a chance to track the real enemy. After all, they’re now a foe of ours as well.”

Marimbo rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering Brock’s proposal for a moment. Then, with a decisive nod, he ordered, “Go.”

Brock set out silently, adopting a stalker’s stance as he moved toward the returning Himura family. Meanwhile, the rest of his family disappeared in the opposite direction, toward their new home.

The Himura family sped forth at lightning speed. They moved faster than Brock anticipated, but that was no trouble for him. In fact, rare blood types, the superhumans were often as fast as vampires in general, and he didn’t consider this an insurmountable obstacle.

As they journeyed back to their mansion, Brock’s presence disturbed their leader’s senses. Husa, from the shadows, took notice, he could sense Brock’s calculating approach. Brock was stalking them like a predator, carefully observing their body movements and analysing their skills and traits to determine what powers they might possess. The exact talents of Husa, however, eluded him. The family jumped through the trees, using branches to propel themselves forward. They eventually arrived at their estate, landing near the gates. Tek was the first to land and immediately scanned the surroundings, his senses sharp. The moment the rest of the Himura family touched down, they sensed something was wrong.

Suddenly, Thorian, alert and tense, taunted an unseen foe, challenging them to reveal himself amid the misted darkness.

“Show yourself!” Thorian shouted, voice steady but commanding.

The family turned toward the dark shadows surrounding their home, waiting for any sign of their opponent.

“Himura, stay in position,” Thorian whispered, signalling his family to remain ready and alert.

Husa silently wondered why Thorian was instructing him to refrain from their usual defensive formation perhaps recognizing a different threat in this encounter.

“What’s this?” Ukaid muttered uncertainly, eyes scanning. From the shadows, a well-built man appeared, it was Brock. He entered their territory with a vicious look on his face, his left eye obscured by the darkness of the trees. That pose was problematic; it revealed their location to the Lovecraft family. To the Himuras, it seemed Brock was deliberately sent to threaten them, a display of dominance, and they perceived it as a blatant challenge.

Everyone on both sides prepared for battle. Vellesca, usually confident, now felt her strength wane. Her recent encounter had left her shaken. She truly believed she was going to die.

“Didn’t we agree on terms?” Hemphia asked quietly, her voice strained.

This was normally the moment for Vellesca to speak up, but she didn’t. Instead, her gaze was subdued. The frontman, sensing her weakened state, stepped forward, eyes cold, knowing she lacked the fighting spirit to resist.

“Stand back, Vell,” Malcolm said calmly.

“You're in no condition to fight.” Artemus commented afterwards.

“Artemus is right,” Malcolm added, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder and moving forward himself. Thorian clenched his fist and raised it menacingly. “Are you going to answer why you followed us, superhuman?” he demanded.

The wind suddenly gusted deeply for a moment, and Brock’s reply was a silent, intimidating stare. The Himura family wasn’t sure whether he intended to break the territorial boundaries or simply challenge them, but his arrogance and domineering stance sent chills down their spines.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Thorian demanded, voice trembling with anger. “You enter our land alone and expect us to be afraid of you!”

Brock’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Shut up! You are nothing but a piece of shit, a calamity, an inferior and cursed race,” he snapped back, loudly mocking Thorian.

That insult shattered the morale of the Himura family. For the first time, they saw panic flicker across Thorian’s usually confident face. He was the steadfast pillar and inspiration of his clan, always standing proudly before them, but now he looked unsettled.

However, Brock didn’t realise or perhaps deliberately ignored that Thorian had a plan up his sleeve. Part of his composure was an act, a calculated deception. He knew that if his plan failed, it could be his last move. Yet, he was willing to take the risk.

Almost instinctively, the rest of the Himura family moved closer, encircling their target, their eyes fixed on Brock.

“Remember,” Thorian said coldly, “you provoked us. You asked for this.”

Like a pack of wolves, they launched their attack. The frontmen immediately tried to strike relentlessly, but Brock was faster, disarming and tossing them aside as if they were mere puppies. The next to attempt to take his life was Hemphia’s, wielding her massive sword Vaporian, aiming to cleave his head clean off. But Brock easily batted aside her blow, blocking it from the flat side of her blade, ignoring the deadly edge. The impact reverberated through her arms, and she recoiled with a grunt, staggered five feet backward by a powerful sidekick.

Thorian, diving from above, aimed a killing blow at Brock’s neck, but missed his target narrowly. Now exposed, Thorian’s defences left him open. Brock seized the moment, clamping down on Thorian’s attacking right hand and body-slamming him to the ground. Standing over him, Brock looked down coldly and uttered, “A bold attempt, but you have failed.” As the first of the Himura’s went down, Ukaid regrouped with the frontmen for the next assault. Tek lingered behind, hidden among the trees, preparing for his strike.

Ukaid was set to engage Brock directly, now that Thorian had fallen. He lunged forward but was struck with a low kick, catching him off guard and knocking him to a knee. After the following strike - a heavy uppercut to the jaw, the towering giant stumbled backward into the charging frontmen behind him, similar to Marimbo Lovecraft’s earlier tactic in the previous battle. Tek quickly readied himself for a diving dagger attack, his same method for piercing the Lovecraft leader’s shoulder, aiming carefully at Brock’s head.

“Bull’s eye!” Tek shouted as he leapt beside a nearby tree, his dagger poised to strike.

For a moment, Tek believed he had slain the mighty guard and thought Brock’s head was about to be torn apart. But then disbelief washed over him.

“No way,” Tek gasped his eyes widening in shock.

Brock’s teeth caught the dagger he threw in mid-air, his head tilted upward. Calmly, he returned his head to its normal position, then lowered the dagger from his teeth into his left hand and hurled it back at Tek. The blade sliced across Tek’s left waist and pinned him into the trunk of a nearby tree, blood trickling down his side.

“Using the same methods you used before won’t work on me,” Brock declared confidently. “I’ve studied your body movements and analysed your skills in battle. You are no match for me. That’s my specialty. Once I know how my opponents fight, I cannot be beaten.”

Looking from a distance, Tek saw that Brock’s eyes had now gleamed a bright blue an ominous sign of his confidence.

Meanwhile, Thorian’s instinct told him Brock was truly dangerous. The Himura leader got to his feet, with Hemphia already charging ahead, sword raised high.

“Vaporian!” she shouted, gripping her sword that had been dropped earlier, aiming to strike.

“You should never give up your position. Your loud bickering gives you away,” Brock taunted, leaping into the air to land on the flat side of her blade in a crouching stance. Before she could react, he head-butted her fiercely, sending her flying back into the distance as her sword dropped beside their foe. Brock seized her weapon, claiming her blade in grasp. Thorian, already rushing to Hemphia’s side, was angered by Brock’s brutal assault. Yet, he kept his composure. Brock had made a fool of them all. This was a psychological blow, but Thorian still held a secret weapon in reserve. He deliberately left himself open, charging forward as if to deliver a final strike to the seemingly invincible guard.

“I told you already. You can’t defeat me,” Brock declared arrogantly, stabbing Thorian in the side with the blade he wielded, piercing into his abdomen.

Blood splattered over the grass, and Thorian staggered, slumping slightly as he leaned on Brock. The sight stunned the entire family. They had never seen their tactician in such a vulnerable state.

“Thorian!” Hemphia shouted, concern blinking in her eyes as she called out to him.

“He’s invincible,” Ukaid acknowledged grimly, recognising the strength of the Lovecraft guard.

Brock’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Any last words?” he taunted.

“Wouldn’t be so confident, if I were you,” Thorian responded slowly, blood dripping from his mouth. “I’m surprised you still question my power,” Brock said with arrogant bravado. “There’s no one here who can stand a chance against me. I can anticipate all your attacks with my all-seeing eye.”

“Wrong,” Thorian muttered with defiance, even as he coughed blood.

“You see,” Thorian continued, “there’s someone who could rival your power. And with you now in my grasp, he will end your life with ease,” he declared, gripping Brock tightly.

“Himura, finish him!” Thorian roared, voice echoing fiercely.

Brock’s head tilted in confusion. “What?”

He turned his gaze sharply to the right, where he saw Husa a few steps behind him, pointing his index finger directly at Brock like a pistol. Brock felt the immense force of Husa’s aura, the deadly emanation that surrounded him.

Without hesitation, Husa unleashed his attack bringing forth a powerful blast of energy he called the Phantom Raygun. The force detonated on Brock’s back, exploding in a fiery wave that tore through his cloth, scorching and burning his flesh. The impact was so severe that Brock collapsed, his back shredded, burnt beyond any chance of recovery. The might of Husa’s strike had crippled him utterly.

Meanwhile, Tek grimaced as he yanked out the dagger embedded in the tree trunk. “Well, would you look at that” he muttered, wincing.

Vellesca watched in awe. She’d never seen an attack like that before. Compassionate and envious, she felt a twinge of jealousy for her own lack of involvement. She had no idea Husa was capable of such devastating power. Aside from Thorian, the entire family was left mystified by the display of strength.

Thorian swiftly pulled out Hemphia’s Vaporian blade, from his abdomen, and handed it back to her.

“Are you alright?” Hemphia asked, concern evident in her voice.

“I’ll be fine,” Thorian replied, grim but steady. “He didn’t hit any vital organs.”

Then, in a quiet, tense voice, Brock, lying defeated and incapacitated, said through gritted teeth, “You planned this from the start, didn’t you?”

Agreeing, Thorian nodded slowly. “Yes. You shouldn’t underestimate me. You shouldn’t underestimate my family either.”

The family moved cautiously toward the fallen titan, surrounding his battered, shredded body. Blood stained the ground beneath him.

“So, what now?” Tek asked, eyes fixed on the defeated adversary.

“If we leave him alive, he could recover or attack us again,” Malcolm said carefully.

“I don’t think he can recover,” Thorian explained. “He’s been crippled beyond hope of healing.”

“Then let’s kill him now,” Hemphia said coldly.

“I’ll do it,” Ukaid declared, stepping forward, raising his large heel prepared to crush the skull.

“Wait!” Thorian commanded sharply.

“What?” Artemus asked, confused.

Thorian glanced at Brock, then said, “It’s clear he came here for a fight. But what about the rest of his family? I want to know their intentions toward us before we do anything.”

The tension lingered in the air as everyone hesitated. Brock’s face twisted in pain, but his words remained bitter.

“I came… here… of my own accord,” Brock muttered. “But… if my family finds out about this… they will have your heads, you bloodsucking animals.”

Thorian knew that this whole encounter might spark further bloodshed, and he recognised the peril of provoking the Lovecrafts. “If we kill him, we’ll have to stay on guard and be prepared for the Lovecrafts,” he explained grimly.

Vellesca was unusually quiet compared to her typical loud-mouthed self. Usually, she would have spoken something unreasonable or provocative, but now she seemed too ashamed to contribute to the tense situation. Thorian had been expecting her to say something radical, something that would give him the justification to order Brock’s death. But instead, he would leave the decision to someone else. Turning to Husa, he asked, “Himura, what would you have us do?”

Husa closed his eyes briefly, a deep, troubled look crossing his face. Vivid flashbacks surged through his mind; the monstrous tyrant that Brock’s presence reminded him of, and the firing of a decision that would seal Brock’s fate.

“He broke the territorial rules,” Husa declared, voice cold and firm. “His punishment is death.”

Thorian nodded in acknowledgment, granting Husa permission to act. Without hesitation, Husa moved forward, delivering a vigorous downward kick that crushed Brock’s neck. The impact was swift and decisive, ending the formidable guard’s life. For a brief five seconds, silence fell over the scene. The wind rustled softly past, and the Himura family silently acknowledged the passing of a fearless and mighty foe.

“Ukaid, carry the body far from here,” Thorian ordered sharply. “We need to ensure he’s out of reach.”

He paused, voice heavy with foreboding. “We’ll have to be prepared for what’s to come.”

“Right,” Ukaid responded immediately, stepping forward to obey.

Husa knew that this act of murder would likely lead to further conflict. Though the deed weighed on him, he also felt that it had already begun to influence his own destiny. Still, he was prepared for whatever consequences might follow.